Study Of Controlling Morphology Of Silica/Polystyrene Composite Nanoparticles Via Miniemulsion Polymerization

In this paper, we focused on the synthesis of silica/polystyrene composite nanoparticles with different morphologies via miniemulsion polymerization. Last we successfully obtained monocore-shell silica/polystyrene composite nanoparticles (95nm in diameter) and mushroom-like silica/polystyrene composite nanoparticles. We try to discuss the influence of some parameters or conditions on the formation and change of nanocomposite morphologies.The core-shell silica/polystyrene composite nanoparticles were synthesized through miniemulsion polymerization by using sodium dodecyl sulfate surfactant (SDS), hexadecane costabilizer in the presence of silica particles (50nm in diameter) coated withmethacryloxy(propyl)trimethoxysilane. The related effects about the morphology of composite nanoparticles were investigated, including monomer concentration, silica concentration, surfactant concentration, ultrasonication time and ultrasonication power etc. Theory about their morphologies was also studied.We demonstrated the synthesis of mushroom-like silica/polystyrenecomposite nanoparticles by locally surface modified inorganic nanoparticles with miniemulsion polymerization. The silica particles were partially surface modified by n-octadecyltrimethoxysilane (ODMS). The related effects about the asymmetric morphology of composite nanoparticles were investigated, including types of partial modification (methods of adding deionized water, deionized water concentration and ODMS concentration), monomer concentration, surfactant concentration, types of polymerization and types of silica coupling agents etc. Theory about their morphologies was also studied.